The Tony Kinnett Cast – Ep. 435

Air Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Tony Kinnett (The Daily Signal)

Overview

This episode of The Tony Kinnett Cast delves into congressional financial transparency scandals (featuring Rep. Jasmine Crockett), political fabrication and identity politics (with Zohran Mamdani’s “aunt” controversy), national progressive posturing (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s speeches), and high-profile news around 2025 foreign policy, government shutdown theatrics, and socioeconomic issues. The show is suffused with Kinnett’s hallmark sardonic tone, rapid-fire commentary, and satirical asides, with notable guest commentary from Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Producer Nick provides additional commentary throughout.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Jasmine Crockett’s Undisclosed Stock Portfolio

[00:06 – 05:30]

• Tony Kinnett opens with an exposé on Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D), based on reporting from Andrew Kerr at the Washington Free Beacon.
• Crockett is accused of failing to disclose stock holdings in at least 25 major companies (e.g. Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, General Motors, Uber, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Aurora Cannabis, Ford, etc.) during her 2022 Congressional run and beyond, despite acknowledging these in her earlier Texas state legislature disclosures.
• The House only requires stockholding disclosure if value exceeds $1,000; Crockett claims none of hers do, but Tony is highly skeptical:

  “100 shares in 25 different companies. Unless each of those shares is like $0.30 and a puff of the old Mary Jane, I'm kind of doubting that's under $1,000.” (Tony Kinnett, 03:31)

• Crockett’s hypocrisy is highlighted, especially since she has made a public spectacle of criticizing potential insider trading by other members (notably Marjorie Taylor Greene), while quietly holding pharmaceutical and fossil fuel stocks she rails against.

2. Zohran Mamdani’s Fabricated “Aunt” Story

[05:30 – 08:52]

• Kinnett scrutinizes NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s emotional campaign story about his aunt, who, he claimed, stopped using the subway post-9/11 due to Islamophobia.
• Investigations reveal the alleged aunt was not even present in the U.S. at the time, and did not wear a hijab, leading Kinnett to label Mamdani a “big freaking liar.”

  “The real victim, Zoran Mamdami wants you to know is his mysterious imaginary aunt who may have gotten a dirty look from someone on September 12, 2001.” (Tony Kinnett, 07:44)

• Mamdani shifts the story when pressed, now referring to “my father’s cousin” and belittling critics for even questioning the detail, exemplifying a trend of emotional narratives trumping actual evidence.

3. Progressive Posturing: AOC & NYC

[10:37 – 14:25]

• Kinnett plays clips from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez listing NYC’s immigrant histories, noting her performative enumeration and her “gearing up to run for president.”
• Satirizes her attempt to cover every demographic, poking holes in the historical accuracy of her statements.
• AOC asserts:

  “We are not the crazy ones, New York City. We are not the outlandish ones ... We are sane.” (AOC, 14:03)

• Producer Nick quips about “rooftop Koreans,” emphasizing the show’s irreverent tone.

4. Gavin Newsom’s “Man of The People” Charade

[15:57 – 19:14]

• Kinnett lampoons California Governor Gavin Newsom attempting to manufacture a relatable “hard-knock life” backstory with tales of Wonder Bread, five-stack PB&J sandwiches, and Kraft Mac & Cheese, calling it absurd given Newsom’s wealthy upbringing.
• Notes a contrast with Trump, who at least “never tries to hide the ball” about being rich.

5. Shutdown Showdown: Senate Dysfunction & Democrat Hypocrisy

[41:30 – 49:34]
Guest: Senator Ron Johnson (WI)

• Senator Johnson details the repeated failure of Democrats to support simple measures to pay government workers during the shutdown, despite minor differences between bills.
• He explains the “Eliminate Shutdowns Act” (automatic rolling appropriations to prevent shutdowns), the broken appropriations process, and that real political will to fix shutdowns is lacking:

  “I've been here 15 years, should have passed 180 appropriation bills before the end of the fiscal year … We've passed 6. So, 96.7% failure rate.” (Senator Johnson, 43:30)

• Kinnett mocks the “acting” and theatrics pervading Congress during these negotiations.

6. Venezuela & U.S. Foreign Policy in South America

[49:58 – 52:23]

• Explores U.S. military and diplomatic maneuvers in Venezuela, highlighting narco-terrorist boat strikes and the illegitimacy of Maduro’s regime.
• Senator Johnson comments:

  “At most, we interdict about 10% of the drugs coming in this country from places like Venezuela.” (Senator Johnson, 51:09)

• Side jokes about Secretary Marco Rubio holding every political title imaginable.

7. The Culture & College Conservatives Segment

[54:24 – 56:41]

• Kinnett criticizes the Boston College Republicans for caving to university administration and disavowing a speaker, Nick Solheim, who advocated self-defense.

  “You don't need to have a humiliation fetish to be a Republican. You don't.”

• Relays the ensuing drama over a potentially out-of-context “white men fight” quote and the revocation of the college group’s charter.

8. Final Satire: “Radical” Progressive Narratives & Venezuela Paradoxes

[63:55 – 66:19]

• Commentary on white progressive women at a “Freeze the Rent” rally, abolition of ICE, and the irony of invoking equity and socialism.
• Kinnett, with sarcasm, lampoons the cyclical excuses for socialist failures:

  “Yeah, but the rent's frozen.”
  “Yeah, but they're like equally poor. Spread the wealth around. There's no wealth.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Crockett’s stock hypocrisy:

  “You don't get to pull the ‘I guess we'll never know’ line about stock transparency if you have a bunch of undisclosed shares in Amazon, AstraZeneca, Exxon Mobil, and Weed.”
  (Tony Kinnett, 04:35)

• On progressive storytelling:

  “It’s not that there are actual definitive actions of black people or Muslim people or … not actually getting discriminated against in a specific systemic way. No, actually, it’s that they feel people are being racist. And that’s all the evidence you need.”
  (Tony Kinnett, 08:53)

• AOC's assurance:

  “We are not the crazy ones. New York City. We are sane.”
  (AOC, 14:03)

• Gavin Newsom myth-making:

  “Five stacks. A lot of PB&J. A five stack of PB&J is like that big. Maybe, if you don’t squish anything down. No, I’m afraid not.”
  (Tony Kinnett, 16:45)

• Senator Johnson on appropriations:

  “We’ve passed 6 out of 180. So, 96.7% failure rate.”
  (Sen. Ron Johnson, 43:30)

• Johnson on Venezuela drug interdiction:

  “At most we interdict about 10% ... 10% would be considered a scrap rate.”
  (Sen. Ron Johnson, 51:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Crockett’s Stock Holdings: 00:06–05:30
• Mamdani’s Fabricated Story: 05:30–08:52
• AOC’s Progressive Posturing: 10:37–14:25
• Gavin Newsom’s Backstory: 15:57–19:14
• Senate Shutdown Discussion (w/Sen. Johnson): 41:30–49:34
• Venezuela Foreign Policy (w/Sen. Johnson): 49:58–52:23

Tone & Style

• Saturated with sardonic humor, wordplay, and cultural references.
• Heavily critical of Democratic politicians, progressive activists, and left-aligned media, but also irreverent toward Republican foibles.
• Frequent satirical asides and “bonus tonus” bits with rapid-fire delivery.

Conclusion

This lively and densely packed episode blends investigative exposés, political theater, and mockery. Tony Kinnett’s commentary frames both congressional hypocrisy and progressive messaging as fundamentally performative and disconnected from substantive solutions, while Senator Ron Johnson provides an inside view of Senate gridlock. The show closes with culture war reflections, more irreverent jabs, and a preview of tomorrow’s news-packed episode.